ISIS has suffered a string of defeats in recent days as Kurdish fighters successfully expelled ISIS fighters from the Syrian border city of Kobane.The militant group was kicked out the city around the same time the Iraqi government announced the successful conclusion of military operations against ISIS in Diyala, the eastern province between Baghdad and the Iranian border.

But the Iraqi government's successes in the air may come at a certain long-term cost. As analyst Joel Wing explained, Iraqi airstrikes depend on Iranian coordination and expertise and perhaps even on Iranian target selection. Even if Iraq's government can strike at ISIS from the air, it's able to do so because of Tehran's broad influence over the government and military next door — something that may not be good for Iraq in the long run.

"This will all go a long way to make sure that Iran maintains its power within the country after the war is over," Wing wrote.